Justification Habitat conservation, law enforcement and public awareness campaigns have halted this species's slide towards extinction, and even reversed some of the previous declines. However, it still qualifies as Vulnerable because it has a very small population and range on a single island.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Vigors, 1837)

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification 40 cm. Polymorphic parrot. More common yellow-brown morph has white head shading to yellow on hind crown. Bluish postocular patch. Grey scaled nape, and bronze scaled upperparts and breast, becoming greenish on vent. Orange-and-red wing-coverts. Black primaries with yellow bases. Dark blue secondaries with orange bases. Dark blue tail with orange base and yellow terminal band. Green morph is duller and lacks orange, greenish upperparts and bluish encircling face. Immature duller. Similar spp. Only parrot on St Vincent. Voice Noisy with variety of calls including, yapping, honking, shrieking, bubbling and squawking.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

800

increasing

43 km²

Yes

Range & population Amazona guildingii occurs on the upper west and east ridges of St Vincent (St Vincent and the Grenadines), where it declined seriously through the 20th century until the early 1980s. Following recent conservation action, numbers increased from 370-470 individuals in 1982 to approximately 519 in 2002, and then to c.734 in 2004^1,7,8.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It inhabits moist forest, mainly at 125-1,000 m, preferring mature growth at lower altitude. It feeds in the canopy, on a wide variety of fruits, seeds and flowers³, but sometimes forages in partially cultivated areas. Breeding takes place between January and June, peaking in February-May, in loose aggregations of approximately 12 individuals, each defending its own nest site but tolerating the close proximity of nearby pairs⁹. During wetter years, birds may not attempt to breed⁹. Nests are generally in cavities in mature, large trees².

Threats Hunting for food, trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss were the principal causes of this species's decline. Deforestation has been the result of forestry activities, the expansion of banana cultivation, charcoal production, the loss of nesting-trees felled by trappers seeking young birds for trade, and natural events such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions⁴. The introduced nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus undermines large trees causing them to topple, reducing the number of suitable nest trees⁹. A cross-country road, funded by the Taiwanese government, is planned which would destroy large areas of suitable habitat and increase deforestation rates⁷. The genetic isolation of the separate subpopulations may present further cause for concern.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I and II. Domestic legislation protecting the species is enforced. The St Vincent Parrot Reserve was established to protect all occupied habitat². Successful public education campaigns have apparently improved public perceptions of the species and, combined with the above measures, have reversed some of the previous declines. Captive populations exist in St Vincent and Barbados^5,6. A comprehensive species conservation plan was published in 2005⁹.

Conservation measures proposed Continue to monitor the population. Continue and enhance existing protective measures. Study the reproductive success, movement patterns and habitat requirements of this species⁴. Oppose plans for the cross-country road and propose a better option. Implement the species conservation plan.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. Greenwood (1994). 2. Juniper and Parr (1998). 3. Raffaele et al. (1998). 4. Snyder et al. (2000). 5. Sweeney (2001). 6. Woolcock (2000). 7. Culzac-Wilson et al. (2003). 8. Wege D. in litt. (2005). 9. Culzac-Wilson (2005).

Further web sources of information

Conservation Plan

Fully detailed species account from the Threatened birds of the Americas: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 1992). Please note, taxonomic treatment and IUCN Red List category may have changed since publication.

Recuento detallado de la especie tomado del libro Aves Amenazadas de las Americas, Libro Rojo de BirdLife International (BirdLife International 1992). Nota: la taxonomoía y la categoría de la Lista Roja de la UICN pudo haber cambiado desde esta publicación.

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), David Wege (BirdLife International)

Contributors David Wege (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Amazona guildingii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

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